Outspoken Ties
by Crimson Flame-Blue Rose
Summary: Keith has accepted a commanding position at the BSAA African branch and is eager to start a new life there, but a certain someone isn't as thrilled with the turn of events. can Quint gather the courage to change Keith's mind, and finally convey his true feelings? KeithxQuint


"Yes sir, I'll be ready to fly in by Tuesday." Quint could hear Keith talking on his cell

phone behind him, lazily sprawled in his computer chair as he talked to his new superior.

His heart sunk whenever he was reminded of Keith's upcoming departure to Africa.

Keith had accepted a higher position to become a commander in the BSAA's African

branch in Kenya, it wasn't known how long his dear friend would be away.

Sure, Keith had made a couple of short trips to Africa to see what it was like, get an idea

of what he was getting himself into. But this time, Keith would be _staying_ there.

To say that Quint didn't want him to go would be an understatement.

For Quint to miss his former partner would be an even _greater_ understatement…

Because the truth was, he loved Keith. He wanted Keith to always be at his side.

But this time next week, Keith would be on the other side of the world, without him.

Quint tuned out the rest of the taller man's phone conversation and tried to focus on his

half of the report of their findings at Valkoinen Mokki Airport.

The bald man repressed a shiver as he recalled the events in Finland, remembering the

freezing cold temperature and all those monsters that he had to fight off.

It was one thing to witness the horrible sight of what the wolves had turned into, gaping

holes in their bodies and elongated teeth. But it was the invisible Hunters that _really_ put

him on edge. He could never see the damn things because the Genesis scanner in his

helmet broke when he tripped over a bucket in Veltro's hideout.

Quint honestly thought for a moment that he wouldn't have survived on his own,

eternally grateful to Keith for having his back. He bowed his head as he then remembered

when he had actually ran off and left Keith to fend for himself, the total opposite of what

a partner should do. But he was so afraid of the situation that they had been thrown into,

it was never their choice to go on that mission. Keith had forgiven Quint for taking off

that one time, understanding that Quint's fight or flight instinct had kicked in without a

second thought. But Quint may _never_ forgive himself for abandoning Keith…

He didn't want to think about it anymore, let alone _write_ about it.

"Hey, you okay man?" Keith's voice broke him from his thoughts.

"Huh? Oh, yeah…fine." Quint looked over his shoulder to look back at the taller man.

"You sure? It's not like you to just sit there quietly all by yourself.." Keith raised an

eyebrow before taking a sip from his soda. "Yeah, just trying to get this report done."

Quint forced a smile to try and reassure his friend. "Yeah, reports are always a pain in

ass. Do you want me to help ya out? I've got my half all done." Keith scooted his

computer chair closer to Quint so they both sat in front of the shorter man's screen.

"Quint, the screen is blank, what have you been doing all this time?" Keith glanced at his

friend incredulously. "I've…had a lot on my mind lately, don't worry about it." Quint sat

up in his chair and scratched his head, trying to focus on the report.

"…Okay, if you say so, buddy." Keith broke eye contact before grabbing his report and

started pointing out where to start, helping Quint progress in his work.

Quint was only listening to half of what Keith was saying, getting the important parts of

course, but all he could think about were the things

they would miss out on once his better half was gone…

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"See you tomorrow, man." Keith grinned as he started to walk towards the door. "Alright

see ya, and hey, thanks for helping me out with the report!" Quint hollered back.

"What are friends for." Keith winked before closing the door, leaving Quint alone.

Quint slumped in his computer chair, swaying it back and forth while deep in thought.

What _are_ friends for..?

Being there for each other, having their back…keep them from making a mistake.

How could Keith be making a mistake by leaving for Africa?

It was an opportunity to take on a commanding position in the BSAA, and it was

something that Keith would excel at. He would only get in his way.

He would only weigh him down…

Quint sometimes wondered if it would've been better if he asked Keith if he could go

with him, but he felt more at home here at the European branch.

For once in his life he felt accepted for being a computer nerd, a vital asset, a team

player. He didn't want to give any of that up, he finally had a sense of security.

But still, he felt selfish for wanting Keith to stay, and heartless for not wanting to follow.

Quint sighed as his head drooped against the back of his chair, looking up at the ceiling.

It wouldn't be so bad without Keith, right?

They could always call or send e-mails to each other every week, but it just wouldn't feel

the same. Worst of all, what if they fell out of touch and didn't pick it back up?

It would be too awkward to ask for a response, Keith would then truly be gone…

'_What should I do…?'_

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There was still three days left before he had to leave for Africa, and he had planned to

spend every last moment of it with his best buddy. But Keith realized that Quint had been

acting strange lately, he was quiet and always seemed to have something on his mind.

But whenever he asked what was up, Quint would just smile and deny anything was

wrong. Keith knew that something _was_ wrong, because he knew that the shorter man was

always talkative and more than willing to share a joke or two.

But nowadays, they hardly spoke to each other. Keith basically lead all the conversations

they shared and he all but had to pull a response from the other man.

Maybe his friend was feeling down because he was leaving soon? That made sense.

Keith was torn about the decision he made to transfer to the African branch, part of him

wanting to go while the other part of him wanted to stay.

In all honesty, he had joined the BSAA to make his family proud. His older brothers all

joined the army or started families of their own, which left him to either go to college or

join the army. Both options had fallen out for him. He never did all that great in school,

just managing to pass high school with his diploma, so college was never an option.

The military on the other hand wasn't much better, simply because he never got along

with anyone. He was never the type of guy that faired well in groups, he preferred to

work alone. But when he found out about the BSAA, he figured that it was as close to the

military as it could get, and he didn't have to work alongside a team.

Quint had changed him, he couldn't believe it, the shrimp had changed him for the better.

The shorter man was over talkative and had a vast vocabulary that confused the hell out

of him when they first met. It was no coincidence that Keith had met the other man, it

was fate, if you can consider a personality test 'fate'.

That's how everyone was assigned their partner, they each had to fill out a form that

stated their strengths and weaknesses and what they expected from a partner.

After a few days he had received a phone call from O'Brian that some guy named Quint

Cetcham was his new partner, and he was given his phone number to contact him.

They had decided to meet at a restaurant to get to know each other better.

Quint was nervous at first, staying really quiet while Keith remained bored and

indifferent. Soon after that, Quint started going on and on about weird junk that made no

sense to him, it had started to annoy to him to the point where he wanted to strangle him.

Despite that, Keith was intrigued by Quint's inhuman knowledge capacities and balanced

it out with his own crass jokes. Keith then viewed Quint as strange but endearing.

It was because of the computer nerd, Keith's complete opposite, that he had gotten his

temper under control and developed healthier social skills. He could only assume that he

had given Quint some of his courage, given that he was so shy in the beginning.

They had grown incredibly close over the past couple of years, almost inseparable.

Quint was the one person that he trusted with his life and could talk to him about

anything and not worry about sounding foolish. He couldn't imagine a life without him.

So, why did he accept the transfer to Africa if that meant he would be separated from the

very person he vowed to never leave behind?

'_Am I making a mistake?'_

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"Well, I guess this is it buddy…" Keith trailed off as he emptied the contents

of his desk into a cardboard box. "Yeah…" Quint mumbled as he sipped at his coffee,

every so often glancing up at the other man. The time had come, Keith was to board a

plane to Kenya tomorrow morning. _'Where has the time gone..?'_

Quint winced as his chair creaked and broke the silence in the room, unsure of what to

say. He had wanted to say something witty as a final goodbye, but nothing came to mind.

Seeing the photo of them together joining everything else in the box was the final straw,

his resolve instantly fell apart and he didn't want to wear his brave face anymore.

Quint's shoes squeaked as he jumped up from his seat and threw his arms around the

taller man, burying his face in Keith's shoulder.

"Hey man, what's wrong?" Keith stuttered as he patted Quint's back.

"D-don't go, Keith! You can't go…Y-you're like the Proton to my Neutron, we have to

stay together!" Quint's voice cracked as he clung to Keith, failing to repress a sob.

'_Great, more science mumbo-jumbo I can't understand…'_ Keith rolled his eyes.

"Quint…it'll be okay, I'll call you every night." Keith tried to smile reassuringly.

Quint lifted his face and looked Keith in the eye, his face puffy and red, completely

taking Keith by surprise. "We've been partners for so long…I can't…" Quint hiccuped

before biting his lip to try and quiet himself down, failing to stop the whimpers.

"What am I going to do with you, goggle head.." Keith sighed as he hugged Quint closer.

This is completely the opposite reaction he had expected, it was unlike Quint to just

burst into tears like this. It was bizarre, but kind of cute in a way…

"Please don't go…" Quint nuzzled his face in Keith's neck, causing Keith to jump in

surprise. Keith hesitated before slowly pressing his lips onto Quint's head. Quint only

sniffed and held tighter, not minding the contact they shared.

Keith took a leap of faith and gently lifted Quint's chin to kiss him full on the lips.

Quint had finally stopped crying when he received the kiss, having been shocked into a

calmer state. Keith smiled and wiped away Quint's tears with his thumbs. "That's

better…" the taller man murmured soothingly, placing another kiss on Quint's forehead.

Quint kissed Keith and clung to his gray uniform shirt. Keith slowly slid his hand along

Quint's hip, earning a murmur from the shorter man. He then slid his hand up Quint's

shirt and caressed his hip until he pinched and flicked a nipple, earning a sharp gasp from

the other man. Quint nervously reached both hands up Keith's shirt and held onto his

hips, caressing his thumbs along the dark skin. Keith's tongue delved into Quint's warm

mouth, his other hand then reaching down to fondle the front of his pants.

Quint moaned and shivered as Keith touched him, his hips bucking into Keith's hand.

Keith chuckled as Quint moaned at his mercy, using one arm to swipe everything away

from his desk, knocking everything to the floor. Quint jumped at the sudden noise before

being gently pushed down onto the desk, Keith's fingers undoing his pants.

"You trust me, don't you?" Keith murmured as he pulled Quint's pants off before

undoing his own, pushing them down to his ankles. "Y-yeah, sure I do." Quint nodded

before tugging his shirt up over his head and dropping it onto the floor.

Keith smiled warmly as he leaned down and began to kiss and suck on one of Quint's

nipples, his hand playing with the other in a matching rhythm. Quint purred as Keith

continued to touch him, realizing the love and devotion that laid in the gestures.

Keith slipped a finger inside of Quint, slowly moving it in and out. "This is going to hurt

a little bit, since we don't have any lube, sorry.." Keith murmured as he then slipped in a

second finger, his fingers then moving a little more quickly. Quint clenched his teeth as

he felt himself stretch around Keith's fingers, becoming more and more uncomfortable.

When Keith saw the evident discomfort on Quint's face he instantly took the man's cock

into his mouth and began to suck on him. Quint moaned as Keith sucked and licked him,

beginning to buck into the taller man's mouth.

"Keith…" Quint drawled in a moan as his body slackened as he relaxed, hardly noticing

the third finger that had slid into him. Quint had never made love with anyone before, but

for some reason this felt right to him. Keith watched as Quint's body shivered in

anticipation, listening to the moans and grunts of appreciation.

Keith stopped and stood up, positioning himself at Quint's entrance before slowly

pushing inside of him. Quint grunted as Keith eased himself inside of him, pausing to let

him get accustomed to his size.

Keith grasped Quint's hip while his other hand clasped one of Quint's, their fingers

interlacing. Quint blushed as he felt Keith's pulse resonating between their joined hands,

feeling connected to the man above him. Keith pecked Quint on the lips before he began

to thrust into him, slow and steady at first, before gaining momentum.

Quint grunted and bit his lip as he tried to bear the sensations that bordered on pain,

mentally begging for it to get better. Quint's head snapped back against the desk once

Keith brushed against a spot inside him that made him cry out in pleasure.

"Ahh! G-grinder! Ahh-ah!" Quint began to pant as the pain subsided, bucking up into

Keith's hips to match his movement. Keith breathed heavily as he quickened his pace

before leaning down to nibble on Quint's ear.

Quint's hand on Keith's back clenched as he reached his peak, his fingernails digging

into the taut skin. Keith gave a low growl as Quint's nails dug into his back, turning him

on. Keith then let go of Quint's hand so he could stroke the other man's cock, stroking

him faster and faster. Quint gave a sharp cry as Keith continued to pleasure him that then

ended in a drawn out moan as he orgasmed, his essence coating Keith's fingers.

Keith released Quint's limp member before gripping both hips with his hands before

thrusting into him even faster, relishing the tightness that closed around him.

He groaned Quint's name before arching his back as he reached his own orgasm.

Keith rested his chest against Quint's and enveloped the man in his arms, giving a

comforting squeeze as he hugged him. Quint smiled as he returned the hug, nuzzling his

face in Keith's neck. "Come on." Keith sat Quint up before pulling his pants back up and

fastened them, picking up Quint's shirt and handing it to him. "What?" Quint cocked his

head to the side in confusion before pulling his shirt back on.

Keith then picked up Quint's pants and helped him get them back on, albeit

half-heartedly from exhaustion. "We can go to my place." Keith winked as he helped

Quint slide off the desk, taking him by the hand and leading him out the door of the

computer room.

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"Come on in." Keith murmured as he pushed open his apartment door, Quint following

him close behind. Quint took in the sight of Keith's apartment, noticing that there were a

few packed cardboard boxes. "Huh, I would've thought that your entire place would've

been boxed up." Quint glanced at Keith as he locked the door. "I wasn't sure what I was

going to take with me. Some of it would've been shipped to me or my brothers, or you."

Keith gave a sad smile before walking over to what Quint assumed was his bedroom.

The shorter man saw that most of the photos were still hung up on the wall, smiling to

himself when he saw pictures of him and Keith when they took that big road trip two

summers ago across state.

Quint walked into the bedroom and saw that Keith was already under the covers, his shirt

and green hat were missing. He removed his shoes and socks before lifting up the

blanket, sliding in and into Keith's arms. Keith smiled as he clicked off the lamp beside

the bed, cuddling closer to Quint. "You sure it's okay that I'm here? Won't I be in your

way when you're heading to the airport in the morning?" Quint asked laid his head

against Keith's shoulder. "You're never in the way, I like having you around." Keith

chuckled as he gave a reassuring squeeze. "If you say so…'Night, Grinder."

Quint yawned before drifting off to sleep. "'Night, cue ball." Keith smiled to himself.

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"I'm sorry to disappoint you, sir, but I'm needed here." Quint could barely register the

words as his groggy mind started to wake up. He opened his eyes and could see Keith

sitting up in bed, his back turned to him. Keith's cell phone snapped shut and was placed

on the bedside table before the lean man lifted his legs back onto the bed, covering

himself with the blankets. "Keith…?" Quint grumbled as he lifted his head off the pillow

to peer up at his lover. "Hey sleepyhead , you're awake already." Keith chuckled as he

caressed Quint's smooth head. "Who were you talking to..?" Quint smacked his lips and

rubbed his eyes to try and wake up. "The director in Kenya. I turned down the job." Keith

stated simply. A few beats of silence hung in the air as it slowly began to register in

Quint's mind what was just said. "You're…not going?" Quint sat up in bed, giving his

full attention. "Nope, I'm staying right here." Keith smiled at the dumb look on the other

man's face. A mixture of a squeal and a whoop escaped the shorter man as he threw

himself at Keith and hugged him tightly. "You're staying! You're really going to stay!

Aw man, this is awesome!" Quint laughed as he squeezed Keith tighter.

Keith chuckled as he held onto Quint, patting him on the head.

"Yeah yeah, you're stuck with me." Keith gave a short laugh at Quint's excitement,

wondering just where he got that kind of energy.

"It's nice to see your old self again, you looked so down lately.." Keith gave a quick peck

on Quint's lips. "I didn't want you to go, I just couldn't stop thinking about it." Quint

averted his eyes in embarrassment, feeling a twinge of guilt for making Keith stay with

him. "These past couple of days really got me thinking about the time we spent together.

How we met, all that we've been through, part of me really didn't want to go to Africa

after all." Keith crossed his arms behind his head thoughtfully.

"I'm really sorry about your position, Grinder." Quint sighed regretfully.

"Nah, don't worry about it, Quint. I'm glad you changed my mind, really." Keith smiled

warmly as he cupped Quint's chin, pulling him in for another kiss. Quint sighed in the

kiss and ran his fingers in Keith's dark hair.

"Hey Quint, you're not still feeling guilty about what happened back in Finland, are you?"

Keith murmured as he held Quint closely.

"How can I not? We're partners, buddy, and I wasn't there for you…" Quint bowed his head sadly.

Keith sighed as he gave Quint a reassuring squeeze, ducking his head to make eye contact.

"Hey, I never blamed you for what happened back there, you know that." Keith smiled warmly.

"But…I left you for the wolves, _literally_." Quint could barely maintain eye contact with those hazel eyes…

"You were scared, it's alright-"

"No it's not." Quint interrupted.

A sigh escaped from the other man's lips before continuing, "Quint, I know that in any situation, you'll have my

back. I trust you with my life, I know that I can come to you for anything. Believe me, where I come from trust is

hard to come by." Quint looked up, surprise written all over his face.

"You mean that?"

"Yeah, I do. Heh, they don't call us one of the best teams for nothing you know." Keith winked.

"I promise that I'll always be there for you, Keith." Quint kissed Keith's cheek shyly.

"Same here, Jackass." Keith chuckled at the ridiculous codename.

"Man, you need a new call sign, _badly_." Keith started shake as his laughter grew with fervor.

"What's wrong with Jackass?" Quint pouted as Keith continued to laugh at his expense.

"Jackass would imply that you're a stubborn idiot, which you're not." Keith wiped a tear from his eye.

"Hpmh, I only use that name because that's the first thing you called me when we had our first

disagreement, remember?" Quint narrowed his eyes at the taller man.

Keith stared at his legs as he thought long and hard about what Quint meant.

"Oh yeah…the time that I made your computer crash because I downloaded too much porn."

Keith remembered the incident all too well…

It felt like yesterday when Keith had downloaded random pornography on the shorter man's prized computer.

Quint threw quite a fit when he discovered that the computer screen was clogged with pop-ups and various sex toy

and porno ads, realizing that the system was overwhelmed and had fried as a result.

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"_You jerk! You completely ruined her! I've had this baby since I graduated from college, and now you've tainted _

_her with all your porno garbage!" Quint's face was beet red, from embarrassment or anger was unknown._

Although, it didn't help that there were six other personnel in the room, giggling as the events spurred on.

"Pfft, it's just a computer, just get another one." Keith sat back in his chair, scratching the hair under his hat.

"Oh sure, just go buy any other machine on the market, huh? Do you even know what model this is?"

"Your girlfriend, apparently." Keith grinned at the pun he made.

Quint glared daggers at his so called 'partner', an unexpected look coming from an introvert.

"This is a T4900CT Toshiba Notebook, idiot." Quint clenched his teeth as his fists balled.

"Didn't know you were into Asians…" Keith crossed his arms behind his head leisurely.

"I can't believe you even knew how to use a computer." Quint huffed in retort.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Keith raised an eyebrow, gearing for a fight should it arise.

Quint ignored him as he continued fussing with some cables, resigning to unscrew the bottom before removing

some of the circuit boards. Keith got up from his chair and stood right next to Quint, invading his space.

"You seriously need to consider a new hobby if all you care about are these damn computers." Keith frowned.

"Some of us weren't born with charisma like you." Quint snorted as he grabbed for a pen, preparing to jot down a

shopping list for the software store no doubt. "Well, maybe if you went outside more often you wouldn't have that

problem now would you?" Keith's nostrils flared as the argument grew to new heights, becoming irritated.

Quint paused in his task, stunned by Keith's choice of words before going back to it wordlessly.

"Jackass…" Keith huffed before walking out of the room, throwing his arms in the air in frustration.

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Keith internally cringed at the memory, the guilt rushing back.

"I bought you a new computer, didn't I?" Keith gave an apologetic lopsided grin.

"Yeah you did, and I haven't let you come near it since." Quint chuckled as he playfully punched Keith in the

shoulder. Quint had truly become fond of the new computer that Keith had given him, refusing to let anyone else

near it, because it was dear to his heart. It was the first gift Keith had given him, and he had set his pride aside to

make amends for the sake of their partnership.

"Hey, I've gotten better at computers haven't I? I'll treat her right." Keith chuckled.

"You're not going near her, because your hands are _mine_." Quint winked as he pushed Keith back onto the bed.

(end)

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After seeing the credits for Revelations, I was crushed when I found out that Keith had

accepted a position in Africa and Quint had chosen to stay behind at HQ, it just seemed

wrong to separate them when they worked so well together.

So, I decided to write this story to help convey what Quint and Keith might have been

feeling when they were about to split up, and write an alternate ending.

What's interesting is that Keith had accepted work at the African branch but he's never

seen or mentioned in RE5 (well, he was created just recently, I'm sure). So I'm not sure if

that means that he decided not to go, he was working in another part of Africa or if he

had be killed in action. (which I hope he wasn't killed off because he's a great guy!)

Some of you are probably wondering why I'm writing about all these Resident Evil

characters in a homosexual manner, right?

The reason why I'm writing about all of them, and making them out to be gay, is because

I think it's a horrible stereotype for all men to be feminine. I'm tired of the ever-popular

concept of Uke/Seme, where one man has to be feminine and weak while the other man

is masculine, stronger and more dominant in the relationship.

It's a bad stereotype and I'm sick of it, it's just wrong!

People may think 'why are you writing about these guys and making them gay? Why

can't they just be friends?' because I think anything is possible, and I think that there is

real chemistry between the pairings I write about.

Some of you may think that it's ridiculous for these kinds of men to be involved with

each other like this, well, I think you're wrong for thinking that they can't be together.

But to each their own, everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

Lin


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